Looks like more bad news for Josh Duggar.
The eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar — who’s already so cash-strapped that he’s living in a windowless storage shed on his parents’ property — has lost a lawsuit pertaining to his past real estate dealings.
According to a report from KNWA — the NBC affiliate in northwest Arkansas (otherwise known as Duggar Country) — the matter of Carl Echols v. ALB Investments, LLC and Edward L. Lewis was decided without any final input from Josh, who failed to appear in court.
ALB is Josh’s company.
If you’re up on the 32-year-old’s incredibly sketchy past, then you may recall the details of this suit.
Basically, Josh bought property from a guy who never owned it and had no right to sell.
This was a problem as a third party — a man named Carl Echols — was living on the land.
Echols says he purchased the plot for $17,500, and while did not record a deed, he did live on the land and pay property taxes from 2006 until Josh bought it from Carl’s cousin, Edward L. Lewis for $1,000 in 2016.
One would think that measly asking price would alert Josh that something suspicious was going, but it appears he didn’t bother to investigate the matter.
That wound up costing him in the end, as the judge his case has ruled that Echols is the proper owner of the land, and Josh’s company will be forced to fork over thousands in damages.
“Lewis was properly served on April 10, 2019, but has failed to answer and is in default," read the ruling issued on Wednesday.
"ALB Investments LLC failed to appear for the hearing on September 10, 2020, and is ordered to pay attorney’s fees and costs in the amount of $5,000," the judge continued.
“The Court finds that Carl Echols is the fee simple owner of the property described herein and the title is quieted and confirmed in his name."
If, for some reason you’re creating a timeline of Josh’s shameful behavior, here’s where this scam falls:
He made the shady deal one year after it was revealed that Josh had molested four of his sisters.
And the case went to court the same year that a car dealership owned by Josh was raided by Homeland Security.
Apparently, Josh didn’t think the situation was important enough for him to show up to this week’s ruling.
That’s pretty strange, considering Anna Duggar testified on his behalf in the early stages of the trial.
We guess "testifying in court" belongs on the long list of tasks the Duggar men disparage as "women’s work."
So Josh is out a few grand, which will probably be paid by his father.
In the end, this outcome probably won’t have the slightest impact on his quality of life.
But the decision serves as an upsetting reminder that Josh appears to have learned nothing from the many, many times he’s been busted in various schemes and monstrous behaviors in recent years.
The Duggars like to justify their acceptance of Josh’s behavior by explaining that they believe in forgiveness.
What they really believe, however, is that forgiveness can be purchased for the right price.
